Flowers for Natsume
by rk-san
Summary: Sequel. A very sick Natsume needs some caring but won't let Mikan visit him.


Flowers for Natsume

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice.

Summary: A very sick Natsume needs some caring but won't let Mikan visit him.

A/N: This is a side story of my other fic Letters for Mikan. Hope y'all enjoy!

* * *

How long has it been since Mikan found out about Natsume's blunt feelings? The memory never failed to give her the most skin crawling thrill that even penetrates deep down to her chest. The way her brain never forgets sometimes gets a bit scary. She was too young to fully realize what the feeling was, and how to respond to it. For a growing girl, things are sometimes complicated to accept and deny.

But a fact had been certain ever since: Mikan liked the skin crawling and heart pounding feeling.

"Mikan-chan! How about answering these magical alice equations for me?" Mikan grew pale as she found Narumi's face covering her entire periphery.

"N-narumi-sensei!"

The whole class jeered. "Idiot Mikan is spacing out again! Haha!"

"Baka..." Hotaru whispered, and examined her all too famous (yet feared) gun in a corner with a depressed look. "It seemed my gun didn't work, strange."

Soon, Mikan found a hard and swollen mass on her forehead. _Cruel, Hotaru... It hurts. When did she hit me with that? _

"So, Mikan-chan, ready to answer?"

Ashamed, Mikan, with her teary eyes, bowed her head. "Gomen, sensei. I'm a bit lost, hehe..."

Narumi pouted. "Hm, that's too bad, Mikan-chan. Did you just listened to my rule of the day? If a student wasn't able to answer my question, she'll have to have a time out for five minutes with my alice operated cacti as a guard?"

Everyone on the class laughed.

Oh. Mikan didn't heard any of it. How in the world??

_Was I thinking too much of you... Natsume?_ Mikan clenched her fists. Her ability to concentrate gets more and more unstable.

Hotaru held her hand for a second. "Don't think too much of what you're thinking right now, you'll get more idiot than what you currently are." She held a piece of paper. "Here, use these to answer them."

Mikan hesitated whether she'd be grateful or not. "T-Thanks, Hotaru."

As Mikan walked, she gave a very, very short glance to that particular sit, and successfully managed to move her eyes for only a fraction of a second, so no one would notice she looked. To her surprise, the object of her glance wasn't there.

_Just where did he go? _

Later, Mikan found out that Natsume was in the clinic, sick and weak to his bones. No one knew what caused this to happen to Natsume. All of them noted that he was very much alive during the first period.

Now Mikan stood alone in front of his bed, and got that sad look. Natsume was sleeping.

"Natsume... what happened to you?"

A gentle voice suddenly surfaced from the door. "I tried to stop him from coming to class. He's got a cold and won't listen to me. Now, it got worse and that happened."

"Ruka-pyon!" Mikan smiled. So that was the reason. She had been afraid that it was one of those mysterious, secret missions that made Natsume weak and sick.

Both heard a weak grunt. "Ruka... what is that idiot doing here? Tell her to get out. She's pissing me off and might infect me with her stupidity..." Natsume said weakly, yet so rudely. "Now I start to feel weaker."

"WHAT THE!?" Mikan growled, annoyed. "I am here to visit you out of concern and you're going to shun me just because you think I am stupid and might infect you!?" She threw and wagged her tongue out at him.

Natsume ignored her turned his body away to the other side.

"Why you!!"

Ruka tried calming her. "M-Mikan-chan, forgive him... He's not being himself today because he's sick, please understand..."

Since Mikan wouldn't leave and kept on pestering Natsume with her complaints, Ruka had no choice but to drag her out of the room.

* * *

"Hotaru, Hotaru, Hotaruuu!"

Imai Hotaru immediately dodged out of the way when she saw a howling Mikan running towards her. Mikan stumbled when she hopped on the newly abandoned spot, making her cry even more. "Hotaru, why did you step away!?"

"You'll get me dirty with all the ruckus on your face." Hotaru mocked with her usual expressionless face. "What is your problem, baka? Who made you cry?" Then Hotaru started to pull deadly equipments from her pocket, like her upgraded baka gun.

Mikan whined. "Stupid Natsume told me he didn't need my concern! And I was all worked up worrying about him! He kept telling me to get out when I visited him at the clinic."

Hotaru stared at her for a moment. Then she spoke, with an evil glint in her eyes that Mikan didn't notice. "Visit him again and give him these. I'm sure he'll open his heart to you this time and let you stay."

"Flowers?"

"Yes. Flowers. A nice way to soothe the atmosphere around the sick. Do I have to explain to you where they come from?"

Mikan chuckled. "Thanks but no," she pouted, "I think you make it sound like I'm stupid—"

"Which you really are."

Mikan howled again. "HOTARU!!!" Her voice was too shrill that everyone on the corridors had to cover their ears and walk away.

* * *

When Natsume opened his eyes, he fought the urge to jump out of the bed and burn everything when he saw Mikan's face a feet away from him.

"You've waken up, silly Natsume!" She beamed, "I've got a present to help you get well soon." Her smile was too bright that Natsume had to look away.

He lowered his head under the blankets and whispered, "I told you not to come here didn't I? Why are you so..."

Mikan toyed with the loosed fabric of her skirt, her eyes downcast. "Is it bad to know if you're okay? I want to take care of you, Natsume, because you're a special person to me."

Natsume didn't say anything.

Mikan took Natsume's hand, opened it, put the flowers around his hand then closed it. Before Mikan could draw her hand back, Natsume grabbed and clasped it between his, the flowers crushing between their entwined fingers.

"Natsume..."

"Now get out."

"...Eh?"

Natsume let go. "Is it bad to protect you from getting the cold from me?"

That mere phrase was enough to send Mikan weak on her knees. Her heart was pounding. All along, Natsume was only trying to protect her from getting sick.

"Natsume... I'm sorry. I was worried when I didn't saw you halfway in class. I thought about you all the time..." She smiled genuinely. "Thank you."

Natsume only looked at her, when his eyes won't leave hers, Mikan started to feel breaking up with cold sweat. She didn't know what to do with the special feeling he felt for him.

"Mikan,"

"Y-yes?"

"Mikan, I lov—AWWW!!!" Natsume suddenly screamed. "IT HURTS, ARGH!!!" He kept squirming around his bed, and couldn't care anymore how humiliating things could get in front of Mikan. All he felt was the stabbing pain on his hand and everything else didn't seem to matter. What the heck was he holding onto again?

From behind the shadows of the clinic's door, Hotaru was secretly watching everything. Gloom was written on her face. "Idiot Natsume got what he deserved. Mikan is mine."

Owari~

Please review!


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